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Matthew Hobkinson

Mateusz Klich leads praise for Luke Ayling after Man United vs Leeds United performance

Former Leeds United star Mateusz Klich has heaped praise on Luke Ayling for his performance during Leeds United's 2-2 draw with Manchester United on Wednesday night, as the rest of the Whites squad also showed their appreciation for his superb display.

Leeds took a point away from Old Trafford against a Man United side that have only lost once in their last 16 matches across all competitions. Wilfried Gnonto's goal after 55 seconds saw the Whites race into an early lead as they officially began life without Jesse Marsch.

Taking a one goal cushion into half-time, a Raphael Varane own goal just three minutes after the break saw Leeds double their advantage and hold a two-goal lead at Old Trafford for the first time since 1974. Unlike that day nearly 50 years ago, Man United went on to battle back with strikes from Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho.

ALSO READ: Manchester United 2-2 Leeds United player ratings

Although there may well be lingering feelings of what could have been, fans will be buoyed from the level of performance they saw from the squad and that they had something to show for it come the full-time whistle - something that was often not the case under their former American head coach.

Ayling was at the heart of Leeds' defence and kept Alejandro Garnacho quiet all night, putting in some vital challenges and blocks. The Leeds supporters were not the only ones who praised the 31-year-old, as former White and current DC United man Mateusz Klich could not help but share his thoughts on the performance from his former teammate.

Taking to the comments section of Ayling's Instagram post after the full-time whistle, Klich labelled the defender's display as "Strong", while Robin Koch also added "What a performance my bro". Elsewhere, Liam Cooper hailed the Arsenal academy graduate as his "MOM [Man of the Match], while Junior Firpo, Weston McKennie and Illan Meslier also heaped praise on their fellow White.

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